iNeed A Prom Date
by StoryTeller125
Summary: Sam is without a date to the prom. Freddie has his own prom-related dilemma...that involves Sam. If there's a pairing it will be Seddie, but will there be a pairing? You'll just have to read. This is a collaborative work written with Dottynha.
1. The Beginning

**Authors' Note. This is a collaborative fic between me (StoryTeller125 on Twitter) and Dottynha (SaraDotta on Twitter). We have a nice, romantic story for all of you to enjoy. We can't promise there will be no angst, romance is inherently angsty and that just can't be helped. Please enjoy and feel free to leave reviews, comments, etc. here or on Twitter.**

* * *

><p>"And that's a wrap." Freddie carefully slid the camera off his left shoulder and carefully set it down next to his equipment cart. Rehearsal for the next evening's episode of iCarly had just finished and he was eager to start his Friday. His mother was going to be gone all night and his best friends were coming over. He was looking forward to an evening of video games, pizza and unfettered guy talk. It was not that he didn't enjoy spending time with Carly and even Sam, but sometimes time spent with the guys was called for.<p>

Carly's cell phone began to vibrate. It was sitting on the equipment cart; Freddie picked up the phone, and seeing the name on the caller ID held it out to Carly as she approached. "It's Gibby."

Carly took the phone from Freddie and clicked the answer button, "Hey what's going on?" She walked towards the rear of the studio, her back to both Sam and Freddie. Neither of them was really interested in hearing what Carly was saying to Gibby, they both assumed it was related to the prom coming up in less than a month. Carly was the head of the planning committee and Gibby served on it as well. The endeavor had taken up a lot of Carly's and Gibby's time, in fact Gibby hadn't been on iCarly in over a month since he was so busy with the prom committee and being on the track and field team.

Carly's voice suddenly grew in volume and Freddie and Sam could hear her blurt out, "No! We are using the color we agreed on. I don't care what the company says now, they promised it to us and that's what we're getting."

Freddie and Sam glanced at each other and without realizing gave each other identical mini-shrugs. Planning the prom was a stressful undertaking for Carly and it had often brought out a side of her not usually seen; what Sam, Freddie and Spencer called (only amongst themselves) "Bitchy Carly." It was Carly's bitchy side that sometimes kept Spencer in line when he wanted to do something truly crazy. It also tended to show up when Carly thought someone was keeping a secret from her. Truthfully, Carly was rarely like that, and Freddie and Sam still loved her, but all the same they were both a little afraid of her when she was in one of those moods. Unfortunately they had come more frequently the last few months, usually in regards to prom-related business. It was one of the reasons Freddie was looking forward to hanging with his guy friends rather than watching a movie with Carly and Sam.

Freddie and Sam both fidgeted as they waited for Carly to finish talking to Gibby. They couldn't make out exact words, but from her tone of voice they could tell she wasn't happy. Even though they did not realize it, they were both thinking the exact same thing, "poor Gibby." Gibby, for his part, was taking Carly to the prom and was more than willing to put up with some minor phone abuse. Finally Carly ended the call and turned back to her friends.

"Sorry about that. The linen company is trying to give us tablecloths that are the wrong color." Carly gave a pleading smile, asking for forgiveness.

They had been too good of friends for too long for something like that to cause any lingering harm. Nothing had to be said, just the looks in Sam's and Freddie's eyes said that all was forgiven.

"Are you sure you don't want to hang out and watch movies tonight Freddie? Sam picked them out." Carly asked.

"Eww, if I'd known you'd invite Fred-dork here I would have picked something a little more girly." Sam rarely passed up a chance to jab at Freddie.

Freddie was used to Sam's verbal barbs and they just flowed over him like water over a duck's back. He wasn't offended at all. "Thanks, but the guys are coming over tonight. The two of you are stuck with a girl's night after all."

"Come on Fredwina, even if you were there it would still be a girl's night. Girlier even." Sam stuck her tongue out at him just to hammer home the point.

Freddie stuck his tongue back out at Sam, "All the same I think I'd prefer video games, pizza and the guys. Thanks for the invite though."

"Wait Freddie," Sam quickly interjected, "have I told you lately just how incredibly handsome you are?"

Freddie was taken aback for a moment, as was Carly. Then he realized what Sam was getting at and sighed. "What would you like on your pizza?"

Sam didn't skip a beat, "Any meat they can cram on it. Carly, any requests?"

Carly shook her head, "I'll pay you back Freddie if you can just order ours with yours. Is that ok?"

"No problem. I'll bring it over when it gets here. In fact, I should probably go and get ready, they'll get here soon. I'll see you later when the pizza gets here." Freddie turned and left the studio, leaving Carly and Sam alone.

"We're not going to talk about prom stuff all night are we?" Whereas Freddie had been blasé about the prom coming up, Sam had been annoyed with the subject most of the time.

Carly could tell the subject irked Sam and really did want to have a relaxing movie night with her best friend. "Nope, promise. I told Gibby we'll take care of it tomorrow. In fact, I'll even turn off my phone."

Sam was impressed, Carly's cell phone was almost an extension of her hand and it was never turned off. "Wow, Carls, I'm touched. Come on, I'll put the first movie in while you get the snacks and tea."

* * *

><p>It was an hour since rehearsal for iCarly had ended and Freddie and his best friends were playing Xbox in his living room. Freddie's mother was out for the evening with friends but didn't mind him having people over. Reuben, Chris, Mike and Chad were in the AV and math clubs with Freddie and had been his best friends outside if Carly and Sam for a long time. Friday nights spent playing video games or watching movies were fine with Mrs. Benson since she knew Freddie wasn't likely to get hurt or get into any trouble.<p>

Conversation among the five of them usually revolved around video games, computers or school; typical geek territory. This night, however, was different. Prom was only weeks away and dominated the talk. Reuben, Mike and Chad had finalized their dates earlier that day; Chris was taking his long time girlfriend Nicole. Freddie was the only one without a date as of yet; the guys were his friends but they were guys, they didn't pass up the chance to give Freddie a hard time about it.

Reuben threw the opening salvo, "You're not holding out for Carly, are you Freddie? Hasn't that ship sailed?"

Freddie really hadn't been holding out for Carly; he had accepted that, as Reuben put it, that ship had long sailed. He was still defensive about not having a date yet though. "No, I'm not waiting for Carly, I just haven't figured out who to ask yet."

Chad and Chris were engaged in a spirited battle of video warfare but Chad was able to add his two cents, "You better hurry, you'll run out of girls to ask. You don't want to go with your mom."

Mike didn't waste any time twisting the knife a little deeper, "Unless you do want to go with your mom, hell, she'd probably be willing to go with you."

Everyone, Freddie included, broke out laughing at Mike's joke; the game momentarily forgotten.

"Are you saying I couldn't get a date to the prom?" Freddie was jokingly indignant.

"Not if I ask your mother first," Mike replied.

Freddie laughed a little less than before and gave Mike the finger. "Seriously, do you think I can't get a date to the prom?"

"I'm sure you could," Reuben answered, "you could always ask one of the freshman."

Freddie was getting a little upset. It was normal for a certain amount of razzing to go on between them, but this was starting to go a little too far. "It's not that bad, I can get a date; a good date."

Mike wasn't finished, "What about Malika?"

Freddie groaned, along with everyone else. "Don't go there, Malika sent magic friendship cards to me every week for a year after that dance. I am not doing that again."

"Then who are you going to ask?" Reuben said.

"I'm betting on his mother, they will make a very cute couple." Mike chimed in between gulps of Mountain Dew.

"Come on, I'm not that bad. I bet I can get a date to the prom. A good date who is not a freshman, Malika or a direct blood relation." Freddie wasn't mad, but he wasn't joking like before either. He was now a little concerned about who he was going to take. Going alone was out of the question.

"You bet, do you?" Mike had a sly grin on his face. "Care to back that up?"

Chris and Chad paused their game. Reuben sat up a little straighter. All of them were looking intently at Freddie and Mike.

"What do you have in mind?" Freddie decided he wasn't going to back down.

"Just a friendly wager. Do you really think you could get a better date to the prom?" Mike looked questioningly at Freddie.

"You kidding? I'm not Brad Pitt but I think I can do better than Malika. What are we betting?"

"Simple. I pick a girl; one better than Malika or a skinny freshman currently without a date. If you take her to the prom, really take her as your date and not just show up with her, you win the bet. If you don't show up with her, or someone just as good or better, I win the bet."

Freddie started to nod, "Deal. So what are we betting?"

Mike thought for a second, "$500 and no offering to split it with her. I'll trust you."

"It's a bet." Freddie held out his hand and Mike took it. "Now who's the girl?"

Reuben, Chad and Chris all threw out names, rich girls and cheerleaders who were all way out of their league. Mike stared off into space, lost in deep thought. Finally he came up with the perfect girl. He couldn't help the wide grin that broke out on his face as he came up with the perfect name, "Sam Puckett."

All of the other guys started laughing, Sam was perfect. Freddie wasn't quite so sure, "Come on Mike, at least give me a shot and make it someone plausible. Why not Kate Upton?"

"Nope. As much as I'd love to see Kate Upton in person, the thought of you trying to get Sam Puckett to go to the prom with you more than makes up for it."

Freddie sighed. There was no way Sam would consent to being his date for the prom. He thought he might as well give Mike the $500 right now. "Sam, really?"

"Sam Puckett. And don't get sneaky and try and get her twin sister to take her place."

"Damn," Freddie thought to himself; that would have been a good idea. "Ok, but none of you can say anything at all to Sam. At least give me a fighting chance here and, just so we're clear, you'd all be pretty impressed if I brought Kate Upton as my date, right?"

Everyone agreed and the terms of the bet were finalized: Freddie had to take Sam to the prom as his date. If he did he got the $500, if he didn't Mike did. Nobody could warn Sam and Freddie couldn't offer to split the money with her or ask her sister instead.

Amongst any group of men wagers are sacred and with them it was no different. Nobody would break their word and neither Freddie nor Mike would dare skip out on the bet. The game was changed to a multi-person war game they all could play. Freddie's mind wasn't really into it though; $500 was pretty much all of his savings and he didn't relish the idea of losing it. Instead of planning how to kill the Germans in the WWII scenario of the game, he tried to figure out just how he was going to get Sam to be his date to the prom.

* * *

><p>It was late that same night and Sam and Carly were in bed after their movie marathon. Carly was having difficulty sleeping; something was worrying her. Sam seemed unconcerned and just wanted to keep eating her bacon, just like every night.<p>

"You know those black shoes we saw yesterday? I'm going to buy them for myself to wear to the prom." Carly looked over to Sam and saw that her eyes were closed. "Sam, wake up! I know you're not sleeping yet. I'm worried." Carly nudged Sam to rouse her, assuming she did not want to talk about the prom.

"Yes, Carls, I think you're going to look beautiful in those blue shoes," Sam replied without showing much self interest in the subject.

"They're black Sam! Pay attention! By chance, have you decided about your dress yet? I won't be able to help you at the last minute." Carly was a little worried about Sam and wanted to find out what the matter was with her and the prom.

"Ok, tomorrow we'll go buy your awesome black shoes, all right? Promise." Sam would only say that to Carly, she truly wanted to stay away from the store since it just reminded her that the prom was coming up.

Carly could see that Sam needed more prodding and playfully threw a pillow at her face, "and for you a dress!"

"Come on, I don't need a dress, I can wear that…" Sam was interrupted by Carly's finger in her mouth.

"Pshh, do not finish that sentence. I've told you many times that you must wear a beautiful dress and also pan…" Carly did not have a chance to finish since Sam threw Carly's pillow back at her face. A pillow fight almost broke out.

"Ok, you don't need to say it! I know." Sam bit into the bacon she had with her to hide her discomfort at hearing that word.

Carly put her hands in a sign of innocence, "I didn't say it!"

Sam remembered something she had wanted to ask Carly but had put off. "So you know that guy we met at the cafeteria a couple days ago? Have you seen him lately?"

"You mean that guy who asked Wendy out," Carly said innocently.

"Did he?" Sam could not hide her disappointment.

"Yes, it was yesterday. Me and Gibby were going to Principal Franklin's office to decide on which band we're going to ask to play the prom and we saw them talking," Carly replied while dragging out the blanket.

"Never mind," Sam interrupted Carly, saying it while eating a piece of bacon as if the question weren't a big deal.

Carly wasn't satisfied with Sam's answer, "What's wrong?"

Sam would not have lied if she wasn't feeling so insecure, "Nothing, I'm just sleepy and almost getting hungry again. We better go to sleep."

"Sam look at me, what about that guy? Wait..you thought he'd ask you out? Is that what this is all about?" Carly sat up in bed.

Putting her hands up this time in case Carly hit her with the pillow again, Sam replied, "I didn't say it!" Trying to change the subject she continued, "You know, if I had been born 100 years ago, I wouldn't be here today…"

"No you didn't, but I know you, stop hiding it Sam! I know nobody has asked you so far but it doesn't mean you…" Carly put it in such a way that when Sam looked at her she decided to finally open up.

"Look Carly, it's true, ok. No one will ask me out. No one! We are getting close to the prom and nobody is even interested in me." Sam dropped her pillow to the floor, she was getting mad.

"Sam, don't say that. I'm pretty sure you will have a date. Seriously, when you stop thinking less about it he will ask you out, you don't have to worry so much. Trust me."

"Aha! Where's my bacon, I don't remember if I finished it." Sam pretended to look for her bacon.

Carly was excited about Sam being asked to the prom. "It's true, you little silly. Remember last week when we were having lunch and Gibby came up to me holding that rose? It was such a weird surprise actually, but anyway, I mean you will have a date soon. Just like that one in middle school, remember?"

"He was arrested," Sam replied with one of those faces only show knows how to do.

"Uh oh, really? What happened? Wait, it's none of my business, forget it."

"It's ok Carls. I'm good." Sam showed so much indifference in her reply that Carly almost believed her.

"Ok sure. Actually yesterday I was going to introduce you to that baseball player, you know the guy?"

"No Carly, don't do that, ok? I don't believe you, I forbid you to do that. I don't want you setting up a date for me, you hear me?" Sam put aside her indifferent attitude and was very serious.

Carly replied, "Sam, why not? He is cool and I know that…he…doesn't…have…a date yet!"

Sam was feeling disappointed with herself. "No way Carly, that would hurt me more! I don't need it and who knows, he's probably already heard about me."

"Well, if you're sure," Carly finally concluded.

"I am, now let me sleep, Gibby-girl!"

"Sam?"

"What?"

"You know how awkward it would be if you had been born 100 years ago, you wouldn't be here now."

"Good night Carls." Sam sighed and closed her eyes.

Carly did not stop thinking about how upset Sam was. It was possible her best friend really wouldn't have a date to the prom. Seeing Sam so vulnerable in regards to the prom; she was afraid Sam would actually prefer loneliness to going alone. Carly resolved that something must be done.

* * *

><p>It would have been surprising to people to hear that Carly Shay had a normal morning of shopping with Sam Puckett. Around noon the two girls arrived back at the Shay's apartment. Carly had bags stuffed with various purchases; she was satisfied with her shopping. Sam was drinking a smoothie.<p>

Sam jumped onto the couch, her frown starting to hide. "Ah, finally home…I'm hungry!"

"Really? So why don't you take a bath?" Carly put her bags down on the floor.

"Come on Carls, you mustn't be mad at me," Sam took a drink of her smoothie, "I've told you that I'm not good at shopping."

"Not that good? Sam, I had to pay for those dresses you tore while trying them on! Why weren't you more careful?" Carly gave Sam a serious look as she sat on the couch, noticing that once again Sam had left her I Heart Vegas panties on the stairs again.

"Arrgh, it isn't my fault, those dresses were too small for my body!" Sam replied, defending herself, "At least I tried."

"And now? You don't have a dress, or shoes; you didn't even by earrings!"

"Yes? And look at you; you have bags full of enough clothes to go to proms the rest of your life." Sam got up to look for food in the fridge, laughing the whole way.

"Well, I just bought one or two little things I needed, you know…"

"One or two? Ha, come on Carly, you bought out almost the entire mall." Sam bit into a cupcake.

"I did not," Carly replied, looking indignantly at her bags, "Well, maybe I overdid it a little bit, but that's not the point. What am I going to do with you?"

"Bake me a pie?" Sam replied, repeating the answer she thought was the solution to all of her issues.

"Whatever," Carly said as she went to take her bags up to her room, a not-too-pleasant look on her face.

Sam sat back down on the couch again, smiling, a particularly naughty look on her face. She turned on the TV and found the Mexican food channel. Suddenly the door bell rang.

"Caaarly, the door!" Sam yelled for Carly.

Carly screamed from upstairs, "What? Can you help me out and get it?"

"What's wrong with people?" Sam wondered to herself, "Why can't I relax one bit lately?" She walked towards the door with a look on her face that, if the person on the other side could see, would cause them to run away.

It was Lewbert at the door; he was holding a box. "What do you want Lewbert?"

"A delivery man just brought this for you, see? Dear Sam Puckett, that's you isn't it?" Lewbert couldn't help but be amused by the irony.

"Dear? What? Who's calling me dear? Give it to me!" Sam felt pretty sure that someone was playing a prank on her.

"Wait, can I have one of those cupcakes you…" Lewbert tried to enter to get a cupcake but Sam slammed the door in his face.

"Bye Lewbert."

"Next time I'm going to open it…Dear!" Lewbert said as he walked away from the apartment, regretting not being able to get a cupcake.

For a moment the cupcake and Mexican food channel were forgotten. Sam opened the box with all the attention of a girl getting ready to defuse a bomb. "Dear. That's a word I've never seen used with my name before," Sam thought as she finally got the box open. She noticed that there was no note or indication of who actually sent the package.

"Wait, wait. What's this? Bolivian bacon!" Sam looked at the bacon, dumbfounded. "Ok, what kind of a prank is this?" It was then that Sam found a note hidden underneath the bacon. She picked it up and began to read:

_I've been drawing all the possible routes which could perhaps lead me towards you. As soon as I find out all your secrets you will find out all of mine. On the Saturday night of the prom._

"Sam, who was at the door?" Carly called down from upstairs, not knowing anything about the package.

"Oh my god! I don't believe it, Carly come here right now." Sam called for Carly as excited as ever had, despite the slight doubts she was still feeling.

Carly came from her room wondering what could excite her best friend that much, "What happened? What's that box?"

Sam answered her with petulance. "Carly Shay, I need a dress!"

Carly was surprised, "what?"

"Lewbert told me that a delivery man delivered this for me in the lobby and…" Sam was interrupted by Carly.

"How about that food?" Carly still did not understand everything yet.

"Forget about the food, just read the note!" Sam was so excited she actually forgot about the food for a moment.

Carly began to read the note, her face scrunching up in puzzlement. "Sam, Sam…what is this?"

Sam had begun to open the delicious Bolivian bacon, "I don't know yet, but I guess there is someone who wants to ask me out to the prom and is maybe a little afraid so he's decided to bribe me with snacks."

"Wow, that's amazing. See, you do have a date!" Carly was becoming excited for her best friend.

"Well, not a date per se, but free snacks." Sam concentrated on the food, reflexively hiding her true feelings once again.

"Wait, how are we going to find out who this guy is? At least he knows how to make you happy anyway."

"I agree. Bolivian bacon changes you…and I need to buy myself a dress in case it means more free food for me." Sam began to laugh.

"You can go by yourself this time. "I'm not going back there again with you." Carly was thinking she didn't want to put herself through any more miser.

"No problem. I'll just go to prom wearing my…"

"Don't say it. Shut up! You're getting a new dress."

"Go with me?" Sam asked, her voice purposeful.

"Put the bacon on the counter and get your purse." Sam never could deny Sam anything.

Sam was disappointed about leaving the bacon, "but I want to eat…"

Carly wasn't in the mood, "Now!" She screamed acutely.

"Fine, let's go." Sam was actually feeling a little excited to buy a new prom dress; she'd never gone shopping for such a nice garment for herself before. Sam wondered if her newfound enthusiasm would last and she wondered if she would receive any more surprises in the following days and weeks.


	2. Weeks of Anticipation

The prom was still a week away, but it was already possible to feel its effects. Both Carly and Gibby were extremely busy and tired; they constantly had to deal with one prom-related detail or another. Still, there was a level of excitement that had never been felt amongst them before. Carly was counting the hours until she could just relax at the prom with Gibby, Sam and Freddie.

The past few weeks had been hard for Carly; besides helping to organize the prom, she had been keeping up with Sam's mysterious prom date and her own school work. She was actually pretty exhausted. Typical end of school year things, actually, but Carly felt bad that she, Sam, Freddie and Gibby had not been able to hang out as much as they used to. She missed just hanging out with them more than she would have thought.

When Carly found herself with a free afternoon a week from the prom she hastily decided to have everyone over for spaghetti. Everyone loved spaghetti, right? Unfortunately Gibby had to work at Principal Franklin's office (the reason for which Gibby was unusually evasive about) but Sam and Freddie were able to make it. Carly was excited; three friends enjoying spaghetti with a minimum of prom talk sounded fun. The only downside was the absence of Gibby. They had spent so much time together planning the prom; Carly found that she felt his absence in a way she couldn't fully explain.

Freddie, who was also excited for the chance to relax with Carly and Sam, entered the Shay's apartment without knocking. "Hey, hey, what's up?"

"Hey Freddie, you arrived in time, Sam hasn't started to eat yet!" Carly greeted him with a smile on her face.

Freddie looked around and, not seeing Sam asked, "Where is she?"

"She is upstairs, looking for something." Carly yelled up the stairs, "Sam, Freddie is here, come on."

"Your spaghetti looks delicious Carly," Freddie said, looking at the casserole.

"Thanks Freddie, I'm glad you're here and we can have some fun," Carly replied cheerfully. "It's too bad Gibby couldn't be here with us."

"I know. Hey, where's Spencer?" Freddie asked.

"Spencer is fishing with Socko," Carly answered laughing, "He promised baked fish for dinner tonight when…" She couldn't finish her thought as Sam arrived.

"Hey Fredducini," Sam said, ironically as they were having a typical Italian lunch. After messing with Freddie's hair and picking an olive, she asked, "Is it ready, Carly? I'm hungry."

"Hey Sam," Freddie greeted innocently while helping Carly with the cutlery.

"Yes, it is, and thanks for your help," Carly replied as soon as they sat down at the table.

After a few minutes spent quietly eating, Carly asked, "So, what were you looking for upstairs, Sam?"

Sam appeared evasive and replied with a full mouth, "Nothing…I was just checking my email."

"Sam, you checked it thirty minutes ago, what's going on?" Carly asked, "is it about your…"

Sam quickly interjected, "It's about the chili peppers that I ordered last week," Sam did not want Freddie to know about her secret admirer/prom date situation.

"Chili peppers?" Carly said, doubting Sam's sincerity. "You didn't buy any chili peppers Sam."

"What do you want chili peppers for?" Freddie asked before Sam could answer Carly.

Sam just ate her spaghetti and did not say a word. Eventually Carly answered Freddie. "She doesn't want any chili peppers," Carly said firmly.

"Carly!" Sam interjected harshly, looking purposefully at Freddie. "I was just checking my email, what's wrong with a girl just checking her email?"

"Nothing Sam, but lately you check your email every ten minutes. Who cares about chili peppers that much?" Carly was convinced that Sam was, unnecessarily, lying.

Freddie listened to this in silence as Carly continued, "Come on Sam, you were checking to see if you received an email from your secret admirer and mysterious prom date, weren't you?" Carly reached and touched Sam's hair, "its ok, Freddie can know about it."

Sam said quickly, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Whoa, Sam has a secret date for the prom?" Freddie asked, suddenly interested.

Carly happily replied, "Yes, she has. We don't know who he is yet, but lately he's been sending notes and gifts for Sam." Carly nodded in Sam's direction, "As you can see, she can't wait for the prom now."

"Never mind," Sam said acutely, "You better not tell anyone, Fredward."

"Aha, so he sends you gifts and notes; why doesn't he ask you out in person? I don't see any reason to be afraid, what about you Carly?" Freddie was having fun at Sam's expense.

"Shut up Freddie," Sam wasn't in the mood, "And no, Carly, I'm not looking forward to seeing him, I actually don't care all that much myself."

"You do care Sam, you loved the notes and gifts; I've never seen you so excited to buy a dress as you were that day at the mall." Carly intentionally wanted to share that information with Freddie.

"Wow, she…she bought a dress?" Freddie was genuinely surprised; he didn't know, until then, just how excited Sam was.

Carly began to talk, "Yes, it's a light purple and she looks absolutely beautiful wearing it, you have to see…"

"Ok, that's enough Carly," Sam didn't feel like chatting about that.

"I was just telling Freddie how awesome you looked," Carly said smiling, "While we're on the subject, Freddie, who's yours?"

"My what?" Freddie replied, not having much to say.

"Duh, Benson, your date." Sam answered Freddie's question, a bit curious to hear the answer herself.

"Oh, my date? You two will just have to wait. You'll see next Saturday." Freddie felt good with his reply.

Carly looked carefully at Freddie and said, "Really, why not tell us now. We're all friends here."

Freddie laughed but didn't say anything.

"I bet it's one of those weird girls that are just like you and you're ashamed to tell us," Sam said provocatively.

"You'll see at the prom, Puckett," Freddie answered assuredly.

Freddie possibly betrayed himself a bit more than he had intended. Carly noticed something in his eyes, but she couldn't fully explain it, and she kept quiet. Their lunch went on and the subject was eventually changed to less serious subjects and soon the room was filled with their laughter. Even Sam laughed heartily and showed warmth in her face that usually was not present.

Carly still tried to figure out what she had noticed about Freddie, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. For his part, Freddie was thinking hard also. Something had changed during lunch and he, too, was trying to figure what exactly that was.

* * *

><p>Freddie sat back on his bed, lost in thought. He hadn't seen much of Carly and Sam outside of iCarly in the last few weeks and he'd enjoyed being able to have a nice lunch with them. Final preparations for the prom had kept Carly busy; he wasn't sure what Sam was doing with her extra time. He'd found that he'd missed both of them and just hanging out together. After a few minutes of quiet contemplation it finally occurred to Freddie what else about lunch had lifted his spirits: Sam was excited about going to the prom and meeting her mystery date.<p>

Freddie allowed himself a smile; his plan seemed to be working. After making that insane bet to get Sam to go to the prom with him he had thought long and hard about just how to accomplish that. If he had come right out and asked her to be his date he felt sure she would have turned him down immediately; and thrown some choice insults his way for good measure.

Instead Freddie had decided that stealth and guile were better ways to accomplish his goal. Things started with the gift of the foreign bacon; bacon he knew was Sam's favorite (and she was quite the bacon connoisseur). That and the note had intrigued her and he felt good when he'd heard she had bought a dress with Carly. He had followed up that gift a week later with another one; a half dozen DVD's of the greatest UFC matches ever. He'd written another note for that gift; something about wanting to get lost in the blue of her eyes when they met at the prom.

Sam had not wanted to talk about her secret admirer in front of Freddie. He knew she was talking about it with Carly; often they would come into the studio and Sam would immediately change the subject. When Sam wasn't around, however, Carly was eager to share this news with Freddie. Freddie was excited that Sam was excited; ultimately his plan depended on Sam being so grateful that when she found out it was him she would willingly be his date for the night.

Another good sign, Freddie thought, was that Sam did not know it was him. He felt sure that if she knew, she would confront him or at least say something. So far she had not said anything in his presence beyond what had been said at lunch. That reminded Freddie, since Sam had bought a dress that was light purple, he should accessorize to match. He definitely wanted to buy Sam a corsage that matched her dress. Maybe they were old fashioned, but to Freddie it seemed like the right thing to do.

Freddie did wonder if Carly knew if he was Sam's "secret admirer". She had not come right out and asked if it was him, but he had his suspicions. At lunch some of her glances seemed to linger on him a little too long when the subject of Sam's dress or everyone's prom plans in general, were brought up. If she did know, at least she was keeping it to herself, something for which he was grateful. The last thing he needed was for her to tell Sam now and possibly upset her and screw everything up.

Freddie leaned back further against his headrest and clasped both of his hands behind his head. If Freddie was going to be completely honest, he had to admit that he had another reason for wanting his plan to succeed: he was growing excited about going to the prom with Sam. He had found that sending her gifts he knew for certain she would enjoy had made him happy on a level beyond just wanting to win a bet. Simply put, making Sam happy was making him happy. Closing his eyes, Freddie pictured Sam in his mind wearing her dress. He remembered Carly saying at lunch that Sam looked hot in the dress. Freddie's brain locked in on those words as he pictured Sam with her hair and makeup done and in the dress with matching heels.

Without realizing it, he began to smile and after a few minutes he found himself saying out loud quietly, "Wow, Sam, you do look hot." His words shocked him back to reality; he sat bolt upright and truly considered that maybe his little bet with the guys was becoming something more serious than he had previously imagined.

* * *

><p>It was the day after the spaghetti lunch at Carly's and Freddie was in his room wrapping his latest gift for her. As he was working he couldn't put certain strange feelings out of his mind. Whereas he started all of this with the expressed purpose of winning a bet (and at $500, no small consideration), now he rarely thought about that at all. As the weeks passed he found himself thinking more and more about Sam being his date, the bet becoming a secondary concern. He actually had difficulty sleeping the night before; persistent thoughts of Sam in a clingy, light purple prom dress kept him awake.<p>

"Oh Sam," Freddie thought to himself, "It's become for you that I do this, not some stupid bet. I wish I could just tell you and come right out and ask you to be my date, that there is nobody else in the world I'd rather go with.

Freddie finished wrapping the package and sat there looking at it. "What the hell am I doing?" Freddie was suddenly upset with himself. "This isn't fair to Sam, I'm not being honest with her and she deserves the truth."

Freddie began to speak out loud, as if Sam were there in front of him, "I'm sorry Sam, you don't deserve to be liked to. I should have been honest and asked you properly from the very start." Unfortunately Sam was not there; it was just him, a wrapped gift and his tangible fear in the room.

"You do care Sam, you loved that, I've never seen you so excited to buy a dress as that day at the mall." Carly's words pervaded Freddie's thoughts; he kept thinking about how excited Carly said Sam was about going to the prom and meeting her secret admirer.

Guilt kept gnawing at Freddie and he decided to come clean and tell Sam everything and ask her to the prom as his date, properly. He left the package on his desk and quickly made his way to Carly's front door. He knew they were supposed to go to a movie and assumed Sam was already there. He waited a few moments before knocking. It was then that Freddie learned an important lesson: It's hard to build up the courage to do a difficult task, but it's even harder to keep it.

Without anyone ever knowing he was there Freddie returned to his bedroom and composed the note for his final gift to Sam:

_Have I really spent my time thinking of you? Yes, every possible minute. If there is anything good inside of me it's yours and it shines brightly for you. I know there is something even more beautiful inside of you, please share it with me._

* * *

><p>Sam sat on the couch in the Shay's living room watching Girly cow on television. Carly was upstairs taking a shower; they were going to see a movie together. Sam was alone; Spencer was out rummaging parts for his next sculpture. She was half asleep; her head tilting back as she waited for Carly to finish upstairs. A sudden knock on the door brought her to full attention. With no other options, she dutifully got up and answered the door. It was Lewbert, bearing another package.<p>

"Something else for you Puckett, do you live here now or something?" Lewbert never liked Sam and never bothered being polite.

"Yeah, you wish," Sam spat back as she took the box from his hands. Without a second thought she turned around and closed the door in Lewbert's face.

Sam returned to the couch and set the box down on the coffee table in front of her. She stared at it for a few moments with her elbows resting on her knees. The wrapping was a beautiful lavender; she usually did not pay attention to such things but her secret admirer (who else could it be from?) had made her super curious about his identity and she'd taken to examining his gifts in detail for clues.

Finally ready, Sam carefully untied the bow and peeled away the expensive wrapping. The box underneath was cube shaped and there were no markings to hint at which store it might have originated from. Lifting the lid, she found the box stuffed with tissue paper. Clearing the paper away she was finally able to remove the latest gift from her secret admirer.

Sam's heart began to race as she carefully set the object down on the table next to the box; she couldn't believe what she was looking at. It was a type of music box. It had a large glass orb resting on a silver base. Inside the orb on a pedestal was a figurine of a ballerina in a graceful pose. Jutting from the front of the pedestal was a crank; Sam turned the handle knowing what would happen next. Just as she knew it would, the ballerina began to spin slowly as music played and the orb was lit up from the pedestal.

Sam was absolutely dumbfounded; she couldn't fathom how her admirer would know to buy her this. Perhaps to convince herself that the music box was actually real she picked it up and examined it closely. Actually holding the object brought back a flood of memories and emotions that proved to be overwhelming. Without consciously deciding to do it, she cradled the music box close to her chest and sat back on the couch and began to cry softly.

At almost that same time Carly came down the stairs with her hair in a towel. She was about to ask Sam if someone had been at the door when she noticed her best friend crying on the sofa. Hurrying around the couch, Carly asked, "Sam, what's the matter?"

Sam was surprised by Carly's intrusion; she had been lost in her thoughts and memories, but Carly's question brought her back to reality. Ashamed at being caught crying she hastily placed the music box on the coffee table and dabbed at her eyes. "Nothing's the matter, it's just….allergies."

Carly sat down next to Sam, "Allergies huh?" Noticing the music box on the table, Carly asked, "Is that from…"

Sam cut her off, nodding her head, but not saying anything.

"Is that why you're so upset?" It was rare for Sam to ever cry and Carly was curious why Sam was reacting the way she was.

This time Sam shook her head slowly, "I'm not upset. I…just got emotional there. Just don't tell anybody."

Carly sighed, Sam always fought to maintain that hard outer shell to anyone but her, and maybe Spencer. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, but you have to tell me why you're crying."

Sam exhaled, "I was seven when Dad left. The last time we ever saw him he gave me and Melanie each a gift. Melanie's was a fancy doll she had always wanted. Mine was a music box…a music box exactly like that one. You see, he left us that night and it was the last thing he had ever given me. It was my only physical connection to him and I cherished it. I would spend hours playing it and watching that ballerina slowly turn around. The music was etched inside my mind. I would even take it to bed with me and hold it close as I slept." Sam paused and looked down for a few moments before continuing, "One day I came home from school and it was gone. I went and found Mom and told her it was missing. She said that she'd sold it, that she'd needed money for booze. I couldn't believe it; how could she just sell it like that? I screamed at her to get it back; she slapped me and sent me to my room." The memory of that day was too powerful, Sam started crying softly.

Carly scooted closer to Sam and hugged her. "I'm so sorry Sam, I had no idea." Eventually Carly let Sam go. "How did…?"

"How did my secret admirer know I'd want this music box? I don't know. I saw one just like this when we were Christmas shopping at the mall last December, but I've never told anyone about it."

Carly's mind went back to that day. She remembered Sam staring intently at something in the window of a fancy gift shop, but did not know at the time what it was. She wondered, too, just how Sam's secret admirer could know that she wanted this so badly. Carly shook her head; the only other person who was with them that day was Freddie.

All of the sudden the tumblers in Carly's brain suddenly clicked together in perfect sequence and, just like a vault, a metaphorical door opened up in her mind and everything fell into place. Freddie was the only one with them that day; he must have sent her the music box. He was Sam's secret admirer! Carly smiled inwardly, it all made sense now. Sam's gifts were delivered here instead of to her house. The gifts were things that Sam could never resist. On top of all that Freddie had been especially coy with her about his date for the prom.

Carly had no idea why Freddie was doing things this way, but she had no desire to interfere in whatever plan he was orchestrating. Sam was enjoying the attention of her secret admirer and was actually excited about going to the prom and meeting him in person. Carly thought it be the height of romance when they finally met in person at prom; she resolved that she would keep Freddie's confidence and not tell Sam. She had to admit she couldn't wait to see what would happen on that night.

Carly took notice of Sam, who was lost in her own thoughts. She smiled, "Let me do something with my hair then we can go to that movie. The popcorn's on me."

Sam returned Carly's smile, "I wouldn't have it any other way."


	3. Prom Night

**A/N This is the first time I have ever collaborated with someone on a piece of fiction. I want to thank Dottynha (saradotta), she has been a wonderful writing partner and made this experience and easy one, as well as rewarding.**

* * *

><p>It was the night of the prom and Freddie stood in front of his bed and surveyed the formal wear arrayed before him. He had showered; dried his hair and even shaved for the evening. He smiled; whenever he shaved he tended to feel especially manly and grown-up and that always seemed to cheer him up. It was not anything he would ever admit openly, but in the privacy of his own bedroom he allowed himself the luxury.<p>

The moment passed and Freddie once again contemplated what was going to happen this evening. It was one of those times in one's life where you are able to know the true importance ahead of time. One way or another, this would be a momentous night for him. He would either be in love with the most special girl in the world or his hear would be shattered into a million tiny pieces. He felt there could be no possible point in between; it was all or nothing.

Freddie exhaled slowly and proceeded to get dressed. As he carefully donned the fancy, and to him, uncomfortable clothing he was struck by a feeling of preparing for battle. He let his mind wander and he imagined himself a gladiator, donning his armor and going to war to win the hand of the woman he loved. When that moment passed he imagined instead that he was a hockey player and it was game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals and the only choices were to win or go home.

He cleared his mind of such fantasies once he was fully dressed and he slipped his tuxedo jacket on. Exiting his room he found his mother in the living room and he presented himself for inspection. His mother had been curious about his date; he didn't think she would immediately be happy to hear that Sam was his date (or the unusual circumstances surrounding it) so he fibbed and said he was meeting a group of friends there.

Marissa stood before her son and adjusted his tie and his jacket; Freddie did not protest. He had never worn a tuxedo before and felt that his mother would know more about this than he. Satisfied with his appearance she pronounced him handsome and ready to break a heart or two. Freddie blushed; most guys really did not want to be called handsome by their mothers. He thanked her, grabbed his car keys from the table by the front door and exited their apartment saying goodbye on his way out.

Freddie walked towards the elevator but paused before pressing the button. This was it, he thought, time to put up or shut up. The next time he would walk down this hallway he would either be the happiest person on the planet or he would be so low he would have to look up to see bottom. After a few moments of contemplation he pressed the button and the elevator car quickly arrived. He entered the car and pressed the button for the garage level, he felt ready for whatever the night was going to bring him.

* * *

><p>Sam Puckett was getting ready for the prom in her room, an undeniable feeling of excitement and anticipation present. Her new music box was sitting above her bed playing; the notes from her secret admirer were posted on her wall. Sam's thoughts were concentrated on her admirer; her heart kept telling her, "Someone chose you, you just need to choose that person too."<p>

For possibly the millionth time, Sam thought about just who her secret admirer could be, the curiosity was killing her. Lately she had taken to looking hard at nearly every boy at school and wondering if they could be her admirer. She looked at them differently, as if she was waiting for an answer from their eyes. Alas, she never got an answer, or at least any answer she could understand. In the end she was glad she never found out, the surprise would make things more enjoyable she thought.

Sam paused to listen to her music box he had sent to her. Since receiving it she had fallen asleep every night listening to it; she thought that it enabled her to have the most wonderful dreams she had ever experienced. Sam looked closely at the ballerina inside of the globe, "Whoever you are, I'm ready to turn myself in tonight. Promise." Sam would never admit it to anyone, not even Carly, but over the week she had grown to feel she could talk to the music box just as if her admirer could hear her himself. "What have you done with me?" Sam had no idea what he looked like, but she still found it difficult to stop thinking about him even though she had no idea what he looked like.

Sam finished dressing; her hands were cold and sweaty, she was nervous. It had just occurred to her that she had put all of her expectations on meeting him that night. The idea of having a secret admirer, receiving gifts and lovely notes made her smile. Previously she had not considered that her admirer could be lying or could break her heart. Carly had told her a couple times that she should not create such lofty expectations about him; that she could be surprised in a bad way.

Sam did not listen to Carly; she just grew more excited. She felt there was a possibility that she was developing feelings for this guy, even without knowing who he was or what he looked like. She felt like she was maybe in love just based on his gestures, caring and solicitude in everything he had done. Perhaps each of his words was written rather than spoken aloud, but they were no less real.

Sam examined herself closely in the mirror; her hair and makeup were already done. "I have no idea who you are, but I know that you are waiting for me and that is all that matters." Sam smiled, she really thought her dress was beautiful; she was ready to leave.

Pam was driving Sam to the prom. Sam did not ask for the ride, but Pam was going drinking with some friends and insisted on driving Sam. For her part, Sam was perfectly willing to take a taxi; she was certain her mother was going to mess with her head one way or another.

"Are you ready?" Pam asked without looking at her daughter.

"Yes, mom, but I don't need you to drive me, I go…" Sam was interrupted by Pam, her words cold.

"Look, I'm going to drive you, ok? No more talking about it." Despite her rudeness, Pam had wanted to do something for Sam on her prom night.

"Why this, why now?" Sam asked following her mother past their garbage cans and towards their car.

Pam did not answer. She had looked at Sam wearing that dress and was taken by just how beautiful her daughter could be. Pam remembered when she looked much like Sam did this evening and some unpleasant memories came back. Pam did not mean to hurt Sam by ignoring her, she was just struck by how much of herself she could see in Sam.

Sam was actually not feeling all that hurt by her mother's indifference; she was still feeling pretty good about herself. Her secret admirer had convinced her that there was something good inside of her and Sam was determined to share that with him. She braced herself for whatever her mother was going to tell her, but Pam began talking to someone on her cell phone as she was driving.

Arriving at the school, Pam finally said, "Hey, you look cute."

Sam smiled and replied, "Thanks, mom, it's good…"

Pam couldn't leave well enough alone and cut her daughter off, "Aw, too bad you don't have a date."

Sam looked down as she left the car; she felt sad that she couldn't share her feelings with her mother. "Ah, bye mom."

"Bye," Pam replied, but before going she added from inside the car, "Don't forget, show them the best part of you. If necessary, climb up on the table and start dancing." Pam never was able to realize just how careless of a mother she was, it was just her normal way of thinking.

Her mother's contempt could not change Sam's mood, she was ready to enter and find out who her date and secret admirer was. She thought Carly and Gibby were already inside and was on her way to go meet them when she ran into Wendy and her date, Bill. Sam had thought at one point that she might want to come with Bill, before her secret admirer came about.

"Hey Sam, what's up?" Wendy greeted her cheerfully while holding Bill's hand.

"Hey guys," Sam replied, returning their smiles, "I'm so excited about this prom."

"Me too. Where is your date?" Wendy asked, subconsciously showing Bill off as a trophy.

"Oh, he must be arriving soon. You know, the traffic." Sam replied, not knowing exactly what to say to Wendy.

"Sure, have fun, we're going to go inside and find a place to sit down, see you later." Wendy had a bittersweet smile, seemingly doubting that Sam actually did have a date.

"Bye…guys." Sam barely got the words out of her mouth. Until she met her admirer she felt everyone would be suspicious that she did not have any date at all.

Sam entered the gym. The music, decorations, lights, dance floor, DJ, flowers and (of course) the food looked amazing to Sam. Everything was just incredible, Carly and Gibby had done a great job. She searched for them, and when she finally saw them drinking some punch, she made her way over to talk.

"Oh my god, this is so exciting, you did an awesome job kid." Sam yelled to her best friend.

"Thanks Sam. Wow, you look so pretty." Carly replied, admiring Sam's beauty.

"Yeah, Sam, you look hot." Gibby agreed after checking her out.

"Thanks. So what's going on?" Sam asked both of them.

"I think we should be asking you that question," Carly replied, "Where's your date? I can't wait to see him."

"Who is he anyway?" Gibby asked, not realizing Sam had yet to meet her secret admirer.

Carly answered laughing, "She doesn't know yet, he's a secret admirer."

"Carly!" Sam looked purposefully at her friend. "Yes, Gibby, I haven't met him yet. I'm supposed to meet him in front of my locker in," Sam looked down at her watch, "Whoa, three minutes. I better get moving."

Carly gave Sam a quick hug, "Good luck."

Sam hurried out of the gym towards her locker. The last several weeks had led to the is moment and she did not want to be late.

* * *

><p>Sam slowly paced in front of her locker, waiting for her secret admirer. It couldn't possibly be expressed, all of the excitement she was feeling. While she was waiting a few couples passed by and gave her looks, but she didn't care. She was facing away from the nearest door and looking down and did not see Freddie approaching.<p>

Freddie saw her from behind, and despite his limited view, was delighted. He slowly walked towards her, softly humming Beethoven's Fur Elise.

Sam was surprised when she heard the song being hummed; quietly she said to herself, "the music box." Without yet looking behind her Sam felt the butterflies deep in her belly. She waited until the moment the humming stopped before turning around; very slowly, trying to control her emotions. Finally she turned around to see Freddie there, all smiles, his eyes displaying as much sincerity as possible.

"Sam, you look wonderful, I swear that you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen."

Sam was stunned, she couldn't believe that her secret admirer was Freddie this entire time. "Freddie, what are you doing here?" Sam asked, not completely believing.

"I'm here, Sam, for you; _because I finally got a route to find you and want to tell you what my secret is_."

All Sam could think was, "The note." Sam stayed there immobile, looking at Freddie's eyes for some seconds. When she finally decided to say something Freddie spoke first.

"So, Sam Puckett, would you be my date tonight?"

"Freddie, I can't believe it was you the whole time. Are you messing…" Sam began, trying to understand everything.

"Shh, don't say anything," Freddie interrupted Sam, putting a finger over her lips, "Just say yes and leave the rest to me," Freddie added talking slowly and close to Sam's ear.

Looking into Freddie's eyes Sam said, "Freddie I can't believe you did all that stuff for me, I must say…I do want to be your date, but there is something that doesn't make sense." Sam still wasn't sure yet that this was all real.

"Sam just listen to me," Freddie replied, holding Sam's hand and kissing it slowly, "_If there is anything good inside of me it's yours and it shines brightly for you…"_ They smiled at each other and finished the sentence together, "_I know there is something even more beautiful inside of you, please share it with me."_

After that Sam hugged Freddie tightly and said, "I do want to be your date, thank you for what you…"

Freddie interrupted her, "Don't thank me, I just want to make you happy."

Freddie and Sam were ready to make their appearance at the prom and it seemed nothing could stop the incredible feelings they were experiencing.

* * *

><p>Freddie and Sam stood off to the side of the gymnasium drinking punch and reveled in being Ridgeway's new "it" couple. People noticed immediately when they had walked in holding hands. Carly and Gibby had kept an eye out for them and when she saw them holding hands she couldn't help shrieking in excitement and rushing over to them as fast as her heels would allow, Gibby struggling to keep up. It was conceivable, though probably not likely, that Carly was even more excited for Freddie and Sam then…well Freddie and Sam were.<p>

After Carly and Sam calmed down Wendy came over with her date in tow. Upon being informed of Sam and Freddie's new "coupledom" she became almost as excited as Carly. Freddie silently wondered if every girl they ran into this night would have the same reaction. Truthfully Freddie did not mind, he was tempted to commandeer the DJ's microphone and announce to everyone present that Sam Puckett was his girlfriend. After the girls calmed down, and everyone congratulated Carly and Gibby on how the prom was turning out, Freddie decided that he wanted to dance with his girlfriend for the first time.

Nobody argued with them and the two remaining couples stood back and watched as Freddie and Sam took up position on the dance floor. With their arms around each other and their eyes locked into the kind of gaze only people in love can do, Freddie and Sam forgot they were in a room surrounded by hundreds of people. As far as they were concerned they were the only people there.

After a time they decided they were thirsty and made their way across the dance floor to the far side of the gym where the punch was located. It seemed every pair of eyes followed them and, more often then not, they were greeted with smiles. Freddie was a little surprised; as it turned out he wouldn't have to make any sort of announcement via microphone. The combined gossip powers of Carly and Wendy were more than adequate to spread the word of their new status just as efficiently.

They were about to sit down at one of the tables when Mike and his date approached them. Mike seemed to be in good spirits despite losing their bet.

"Congratulations Benson, I really didn't think you could do it, but I have been proven wrong."

Freddie had truthfully forgotten about the bet. If he had remembered he might have signaled Mike in some fashion to keep quiet, but alas, it did not cross his mind until it was too late. Sam, for her part, looked very confused.

"Don't worry, no way will I welsh on our bet. I'll have the $500 for you tomorrow. Wow, I don't now how you convinced Sam to be your date, you must have really wanted that money, but I am very impressed. Again, congratulations." With that Mike and his date left to talk to other friends on the other side of the room.

Sam began to put things together in her mind and she did not like it one bit. She turned away from everyone and faced the wall; she wasn't sure she could keep herself from crying and at the very least did not want anyone to see the look on her face. Sam had not always had the greatest friends, family or role models growing up; but right at that moment she had never felt more betrayed or humiliated in her entire life.

Sam did her best to keep the hurt she was feeling out of her voice, but it was a futile effort. In a low voice so only Freddie could hear her she asked him, "This is what this was all about? A bet, a stupid bet?"

Freddie wasn't sure what to say, his words came out seemingly on auto-pilot, "It…it started as a bet, but…"

Sam did not let him continue and cut him off, "I don't want to hear it. $500 huh? Get me to be your date and girlfriend and humiliate me in the process? Is that all, or do you get any more money if you dump me here at midnight in front of everyone?"

Things were spiraling out of control too fast for Freddie, "No Sam, no, that's not it at all."

"Oh, you mean there's no bet?"

"Well, yes, there is…"

Sam cut him off again. She was trying hard not to lose her temper and create a scene; she did not want to add to her humiliation any more by losing control of her emotions in front of all the people present. "Freddie Benson, of all the people in the world, how could you hurt me like this? I have never…" Sam was not able to continue. She felt herself about to break down sobbing; if she was going to cry so be it, but she refused to cry in front of everyone and give Freddie or his lousy friends the satisfaction of seeing her do it. Quickly, without another word, she exited the gym; leaving Freddie behind with a bewildered look on his face.

Freddie had no idea what to do. He wanted to chase Sam down and explain everything, but there was an excellent chance he would wind up severely beaten for his

troubles. On the other hand maybe she would calm down after a few minutes and he would be able to talk to her calmly alone somewhere. Freddie's mind went back and forth between the two choices, trying to decide the best course of action. He was standing there trying to decide what to do when Carly came up to him, a look of concern evident on her face.

"Freddie, what happened? Why did Sam just run off?"

Freddie keenly felt a new emotion with Carly's arrival: shame. "I messed up Carly, I messed up really bad."

Carly did not know anything close to the whole story, but she was sure just standing there would not help anything. "Why are you just standing here? Get moving and find her; she's your girlfriend now. If you really love her then she's worth fighting for."

Freddie nodded and without another word hurried away to go find Sam and try and put things right. Carly was right and Sam was definitely worth fighting for.

* * *

><p>Freddie set out from the gym determined to find Sam, but in truth there was not much searching involved; he felt sure he knew where she was. His hunch was confirmed when he found her sitting on a low ledge in Ridgeway's courtyard. He watched her from inside the heavy door; she gave no hint that she knew he was there, and he took the opportunity to watch her surreptitiously.<p>

She did not appear to be crying, Freddie was momentarily surprised, but then he remembered that Sam hated to show any weakness and crying would do just that. Instead she just seemed to be staring off into space, her face betraying no emotion as far as he could tell. This actually hurt Freddie more than if she were sobbing uncontrollably; the impression he got was that Sam expected to be hurt and the fact that he was instrumental in providing it actually brought tears to his eyes.

After taking a moment to compose himself he opened the door. Sam did not move or flinch; she showed no sign that she was aware of any other presence. Freddie did not want to startle her and gently called her name after taking a few steps toward her. "Sam."

Sam did not say anything in reply to Freddie and made no gesture. Instead she started to cry softly; knowing it was Freddie she felt comfortable displaying some of the grief and heartache she had spent most of her time trying to hold in where she thought nobody could detect its presence.

Freddie never thought he could feel this low. He would have felt better if Sam had been enraged; if she had gotten up and started to throttle him he wouldn't have resisted and would have felt better about what had happened. That response would have been more in line with the Sam Puckett he had known for years and fallen in love with. Instead she seemed broken, defeated, a hollowed out shell of the vibrant and strong young woman he had always known her to be.

Freddie did not approach any closer and instead spoke to her from his point just a few feet inside the courtyard. "Sam, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you, please believe me. This is not what I wanted."

Sam still did not say anything. Her crying increased slightly and she kept staring down at some imagined point only she could see. After a few minutes of silence between them Sam finally spoke, her voice weak with shame and embarrassment. "Fine, you're sorry. Apology accepted, you can go on back to your friends now and enjoy a big laugh at my expense."

"Please Sam, I need to talk to you. It's not like that at all."

Sam shook her head slowly from side to side, "It sure feels like it to me."

Freddie couldn't stand to see Sam this sad…this broken. Mustering his courage he walked over to where Sam was sitting and kneeled down in front of her. Sam turned her head away from him. "Please Sam, look at me, this important. Please?"

Sam waited a few heartbeats and debated getting up to leave, but her curiosity got the better of her and she decided to hear Freddie out. She finally turned to fully face Freddie; she was struck by the look on his face. She had never seen him this sad; not once in all the times Carly had rejected him those years ago had he ever looked this dejected. She was surprised to see a tear streaming down his left cheek; reflexively she reached out with her right hand and gently wiped the tear away.

Freddie was surprised at the tender gesture from Sam; before she could bring her hand back he gently took it in both of his own. Subconsciously he was grateful she did not resist and he brought her hand to his lips and gently kissed it. Freddie noted how soft her hand was and how beautifully manicured her nails were. "Please, listen carefully to what I have to say. Believe me, I will never be more truthful in my life than in these next few minutes."

Sam did not pull her hand away and silently nodded for Freddie to continue. Freddie remained kneeling and held Sam's hand while it rested on her lap.

"Yes, this started as a bet between me and the guys. I was supposed to get you to go to the prom with me to win $500. Nobody was allowed to tell you about the bet; we didn't want you to possibly be influenced by it. I'm really sorry, that was the wrong thing to do, it objectified you and it was totally wrong."

Sam's face stayed mostly impassive but Freddie felt there might be a glimmer of forgiveness in her eyes. He continued, "I didn't think you would go with me if I just asked you, so I bought you the gifts and acted as your secret admirer. I thought that when we met here at the prom you might be upset at first but would at least go with me out of some gratitude at least."

Freddie paused, this was the important part, the part that made his heart beat faster and feel like it might burst out of his chest. "Something changed though as the days and weeks passed. I saw how much you liked the bacon and the DVD's, and how excited you became over going to the prom. I found myself becoming happy that I was making you happy. It was around that time I felt my feelings changing. Well, changing maybe is the wrong word. I think it's more accurate to say that my feelings came into sharper focus."

Sam still said nothing, she did not want to interrupt Freddie, but she couldn't conceal the look of puzzlement on her face. Freddie sensed her encouragement and went on, "I figured out during those first couple weeks that I had fallen in love with you, or rather I had probably already loved you, but needed a catalyst to fully realize that fact. When it came time to buy you that third gift I thought very hard over what to get you. I knew at that time how I felt and wanted it to be special. I remembered back to Christmas when me you and Carly were shopping at the mall. I saw you staring at that music box; I didn't' know exactly why, but I knew it as special to you. I went to the mall and found it; even though I didn't know why, I knew that you wanted it."

Sam squeezed Freddie's hand slightly, things were becoming clearer for her. Before she could say anything, however, Freddie went on, "I was going to give you the music box in person and come clean last Sunday, but I chickened out at the last second. I guess I was afraid you would reject me. I'm really sorry Sam; the last thing I ever wanted was to hurt you or cause you any pain. Yes, this started as a silly bet, but it changed for me. It stopped being about the bet at all and became about falling in love with you and desperately wishing for you to love me in return, even just a little bit."

Freddie gave no outward indications, but Sam sensed that he was finished. The sorrow, heartache, despair and anger she had felt earlier had melted away as Freddie had gone on with his speech. Whatever penance she may have wanted to exact from him was no longer needed. For once in her life she was in love with someone who loved her back. She looked closely at Freddie; she could plainly see his brown hair, his handsome face (which more and more had seemed to remind her of Clark Kent) and most of all his dark brown eyes.

She stared deeply into his eyes. On the surface she could see they were brown, but as she looked farther and farther into them she could see more. At that moment in time Sam was able to look into Freddie's eyes and see right into his very soul. What she saw was someone who was being absolutely and completely honest. In addition she saw that Freddie was the one for her; she saw his decency and his very love for her. Sam did not know exactly how, but she knew for a certainty then that Freddie and she were meant to be together.

Sam searched for the right words but could not think of any to properly express her emotions, especially the depth of those emotions. Instead she stood up and gently motioned for Freddie to stand with her. As soon as he was upright Sam threw her arms around his neck, pulled him closer to her, and kissed him with a passion she hoped conveyed just how she felt.

Freddie returned her kiss just as passionately and at that point time had no meaning. It seemed as if their very souls were joined together in an ultimate expression of joy and love. After some indeterminate amount of time, it could have been minutes or even hours, they broke their kiss and Sam finally found words to say, "I love you Freddie Benson, please don't ever let me go."

* * *

><p>After taking time to fix her makeup, Sam met Freddie outside the gym. Both smiling, they entered hand in hand, just in time for the last dance of the evening. The prom theme song that had been selected was Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls. Freddie led Sam out onto the dance floor as the first line was sung:<p>

_And I'd give up forever to touch you_

'_Cause I know that you feel me somehow_

Freddie had heard the song many times before, it was actually a favorite of Carly's, but he'd never truly thought about the lyrics. Now that he was in love, though, they took on a whole new meaning for him.

_You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be_

_And I don't want to go home right now_

Sam, too, was listening to the lyrics for first time and like Freddie they had touched her deeply. She held him a little closer, her head resting on the crux of his shoulder and neck. She spoke softly so that only Freddie could hear her, "This is heaven for me, Freddie, I don't ever want to leave you."

Freddie smiled and kissed Sam on the forehead. He didn't have to say anything, Sam knew it was heaven for him too.

_And all I can taste is this moment_

_And all I can breathe is your life_

For some moments Sam and Freddie doubted whether the moment was real or just a dream. There were so many people there watching them but all they could see was each other. It was like they were dancing under clouds and could live just from each other's breathing. Freddie gently pulled Sam to his chest and she shivered. He whispered into her ear, "I'd surrender everything to eternize this moment with you."

_And sooner or later it's over_

_I just don't want to miss you tonight_

Sam closed her eyes; she did not feel it was necessary to say anything. She slid her hand through Freddie's hair sweetly; finally she said, "This moment can go on for as long as we want it to, Freddie, we just have to want it."

_And I don't want the world to see me_

_'Cause I don't think that they'd understand_

After kissing passionately again to seal the moment, Sam said, "You own my heart now Freddie, and I don't want you to ever return it to me. Never. You have owned it since I got the first note from you, even when I did not know you were the one sending it. Now that I know it was you, I see how ignorant I have been all these years."

_When everything's made to be broken_

_I just want you to know who I am_

Freddie smiled cheerfully and said, "I'm here now and I want to give you all the dreams you think you've lost. I promise I will never get tired of it…ever."

Sam and Freddie continued to dance, but instead of it being dancing with each other, it was like two souls joined together dancing as one.

* * *

><p>We hope you enjoyed this story. Please leave reviews and let us know what you think of it.<p> 


End file.
